Facile preparation and photoelectrochemical properties of CdSe/TiO2 NTAs

In the present work we report the design and synthesis of CdSe/TiO₂ nanotube arrays (NTAs) and their implementation as a photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) application. CdSe nanoparticles with well dispersion were decorated on the inner and outer surfaces of 2.5 μm-long TiO₂ nanotubes via electrodeposition. These CdSe/TiO₂ NTAs exhibit a significant photocurrent responds under visible light illumination (λ ≥ 420 nm). The results presented in this study display a promising method that the photoelectrochemical performance could be improved via composition, size and crystalline control of CdSe/TiO₂ NTAs. And the tubular morphology is also able to facilitate charge transport in nanostructure-based PEC cells. This research demonstrates a new approach, which have great potential applications in fabricating novel heterostructure-photoelectrochemical devices.     

Enhanced photocurrent of nitrogen-doped TiO2 film for dye-sensitized solar cells

Nitrogen (n)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was prepared with varying doping extent by a general sol–gel process with a pure TiO₂ film as the control sample. The n-doped-2 electrode showed the maximum conversion efficiency with an open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.726 V, a photocurrent (J_sc) of 10.52 mA cm^?2, a fill factor of 63.6%, and an efficiency of 4.86%, compared to 0.751 V, 7.4 mA cm^?2, 67.1%, and 3.73%, respectively, for the undoped (u-doped) TiO₂ electrode. The approximate 23% enhancement in the conversion efficiency of the n-doped-2 TiO₂ electrode-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was mostly ascribed to the increase of light absorption in the near-vis absorbance and partially to the morphological characteristics of the n-doped TiO₂ film. Additionally, the doping type of nitrogen in the TiO₂ lattice was closely studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The relation between the doping type and the electron behavior in the DSSCs was also examined.     

Influence of TiO2 dimension and graphene oxide content on the self-cleaning activity of methylene blue-stained photocatalytic films

In the present study, TiO₂ and graphene oxide (GO)/TiO₂ composite films were simply fabricated by hot-plate spray coating technique. The influences of TiO₂ dimension and GO content on the self-cleaning activity of methylene blue (MB)-stained films were investigated. The matrix of anatase TiO₂ quasi-cubic and octahedral particles in diameter of 6–9 nm (ST film) degraded 80% stained dye, much higher than those either in bigger size (30–50 nm) or in flower morphology due to the nano effect. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance of such nanostructured film was strongly enhanced by the combination with GO sheets. Increasing GO content led to significant enhancement in film transmittance and MB adsorptivity. In the aspect of the self-cleaning activity for MB, the addition of GO up to 1 wt.% showed higher efficiency but excess content led to similar performance in comparison with pure TiO₂ film.     

Facile fabrication of three-dimensional interconnected nanoporous N-TiO2 for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting

Three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous architectures are expected to perform well in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to their high specific surface area as well as favourable porous properties and interconnections. In this work, we demonstrated the facile fabrication of 3D interconnected nanoporous N-doped TiO₂ (N-TiO₂ network) by annealing the anodized 3D interconnected nanoporous TiO₂ (TiO₂ network) in ammonia atmosphere. The obtained N-TiO₂ network exhibited broadened light absorption, and abundant, interconnected pores for improving charge separation, which was supported by the reduced charge transfer resistance. With these merits, a remarkably high photocurrent density at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) was realized for the N-TiO₂ network without any co-catalysts or sacrificial reagents, and the photostability can be assured after long term illumination. In view of its simplicity and efficiency, this structure promises for perspective PEC applications.     

Photoexcitation of TiO2 photoanode in water splitting

TiO₂ is one of the most promising photoanodes for solar-hydrogen conversion by water splitting. However, the solar-hydrogen efficiency of TiO₂ remains limited because of a low photocurrent generation. A clear understanding of photoexcitations within photoanodes can predict the quantity of photocurrent and consequently determine the solar-hydrogen efficiency. In this work, hydrothermally synthesized rutile TiO₂ nanorods were investigated for their photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. A photogenerated hole concentration of TiO₂ photoanode was derived as 8.40 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻³ under one sun illumination. In addition, Fermi level pinning associated with high density of surface states was also observed under PEC operation. Base on these results, a series of band diagrams of TiO₂ photoanode were established to describe the photogeneration of holes and current at various bias potential. The main limitation of photocurrent generation is the distribution of surface-trapped states, which determines the hole concentration at the surface and consequently determines the open-circuit potential and the photocurrent density.     

Investigation of UV-photon induced hydrophilicity of titanium ion-implanted soda-lime silicate glasses

The UV-induced wetting effect on titanium oxide surface is well-known; however, the UV-induced hydrophilicity of titanium implanted soda-lime silicate glass has not been investigated. Hence the contact angle of water droplet under the indoor fluorescent lights on titanium-ion implanted soda-lime silicate glasses was investigated. The silicate glasses were implanted by MEVVA ion implanter by 40 keV titanium ions with a fluence of 10¹⁵ ions cm^?2. The contact angle, the chemical bonding environment, and surface morphologies were examined. Results show the formation of TiO₂, the increase of surface roughness, and the reduction of the contact angle after the ion implantation. Further enhancement of hydrophilicity after the 254 nm pre-UV irradiation for 1 h on the implanted sample surface was observed. The enhancement of the wetting effect after ion implantation could be attributed to rougher TiO₂ content surface. However, according to the mechanisms of UV photo-induced hydrophilicity on TiO₂ proposed previously, the enhancement of hydrophilicity of titanium implanted surface with and without 254 nm pre-photon radiation can be attributed to not only the reduction of hydrocarbon on surface during the UV radiation but also to the oxygen vacancies produced by 254 nm UV photon irradiation.     

Cobalt–Nickel Layered Double Hydroxides Modified on TiO2 Nanotube Arrays for Highly Efficient and Stable PEC Water Splitting

TiO₂‐based photoanodes have attracted extensive attention worldwide for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, but these materials still suffer from poor electron–hole separation and low photoconversion efficiency. Here, the high PEC water splitting activity and long‐term stability against photocorrosion of well‐aligned hierarchical TiO₂@CoNi‐layered double hydroxides nanotube arrays (TiO₂@CoNi‐LDHs NTAs) are reported. The typical TiO₂@CoNi‐LDHs NTAs exhibits enhancing photocurrent density of 4.4 mA cm^?2 at a potential of 1.23 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) under AM 1.5G simulated sunlight (100 mW cm^?2), 3.3 times higher than that of the pristine TiO₂ sample. Moreover, this hierarchical electrode displays excellent stability against photocorrosion with initial activity loss no more than 1.0% even after 10 h irradiation in Na₂SO₄ electrolyte solution (pH 6.8), much competitive to those reported TiO₂‐based photoelectrodes. This work may offer a combinatorial synthesis strategy for the preparation of hierarchical architectures with high PEC performances.     

Design and development of electronic- and micro-structures for multi-functional working electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

This paper outlines a new strategy to optimize the performance of electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), through the engineering of electronic structures in conjunction with the micro-structures of the devices. We propose a simple hydrolysis method for the fabrication of a family of quasi-core–shell TiO₂ (hydrolysis)/PbS composites for working electrodes. Measurements confirm a shift in absorption from the UV to visible range. We also measured cell performance, including short-circuit photocurrent, open-circuit photovoltage, and the power conversion efficiency (η) of DSSCs. The obtained η of DSSC (6.05%) with a TiO₂ (P-25)/TiO₂ (hydrolysis) + 0.005 M PbS electrode is substantially higher than that of the conventional DSSC (5.11%) with a TiO₂ (P-25) electrode, due to improved p–n junctions, light-scattering, and light absorption. Finally, the shell of TiO₂ (hydrolysis) protected the core of PbS from the corrosive effects of electrolytes, thereby prolonging the life span of the DSSC. This novel approach to electrode design could lead to advances in DSSC as well as other energy applications including photo-catalysis technology.     

Air detoxification with nanosize TiO2 aerosol tested on mice

A method for fast air purification using high concentration aerosol of TiO₂ nanoparticles is evaluated in a model chemical catastrophe involving toxic vapors of diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP). Mice are used as human model in a closed 100 dm³ chamber. Exposure of mice to 37 ppm of DFP vapor for 15 min resulted in acute poisoning. Spraying TiO₂ aerosol in 2 min after the start of exposure to DFP vapors resulted in quick removal of DFP vapors from the chamber's air. Animals did not show signs of poisoning after the decontamination experiment and exposure to TiO₂ aerosol alone. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant activity (AOA) of mice blood plasma were measured for animals exposed to sound of aerosol generator, DFP vapors, TiO₂ aerosol and DFP vapors + TiO₂ aerosol. Reduced ROS and increased AOA were found for mice exposure to sound, DFP and TiO₂ aerosol. Exposure to DFP and decontamination with TiO₂ nanoparticles resulted in decreased AOA in 48 h following the exposure. The results suggest that application of TiO₂ aerosol is a powerful method of air purification from toxic hydrolysable compounds with moderate health aftermaths and requires further study and optimization.     

Visible-light absorption and photocatalytic activity of Cr-doped TiO2 nanocrystal films

Chromium doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanocrystal films with various doping concentration have been successfully prepared by a sol–gel dip-coating process. These films have been characterized by XRD, XPS, AFM, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. It is found that Cr doping can effectively reduce the transition temperature of anatase to rutile phase as well as the grain size. The absorption edges of TiO₂ thin films shift towards longer wavelengths (i.e. red shifted) from 375 nm to about 800 nm with increasing Cr concentration, which greatly enhances TiO₂ nano-materials on the absorption of solar spectrum. The appearance of UV–vis absorption features in the visible region can be ascribed to the newly formed energy levels such as Cr 2p level and oxygen vacancy state between the valence and the conduction bands in the TiO₂ band structure. The enhancement of the photocatalytic properties is observed for Cr-doped TiO₂ thin film.     

Fabrication of partially crystalline TiO2 nanotube arrays using 1, 2-propanediol electrolytes and application in dye-sensitized solar cells

We report the fabrication of self-organized partial crystalline TiO₂ nanotube arrays in 1, 2-propanediol containing fluoride ion. The influence of anodization parameters including NH₄F concentration, water content, anodization voltage and time on the morphology, diameter and length of TiO₂ nanotube were investigated in detail. The prepared TiO₂ nanotube has diameter in 30–120 nm and length in 0.6–3 μm. TiO₂ nanotube arrays are used as photoanode for the application in dye-sensitized solar cell and the photovoltaic performance of 1.91% is achieved with a TiO₂ nanotube sample of 2.2 μm in length combining with N719 dye, and the corresponding photovoltaic parameters of 3.6 mA cm^?2 in short circuit photocurrent density, 840 mV in open circuit potential, and 63.2% in fill factor.     

Nb-doped TiO2 thin films for photovoltaic applications

Polycrystalline titania and Nb:TiO₂ thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. The influence of post-deposition annealing in vacuum and hydrogen atmosphere on the structure, morphology, oxidation states and optical properties was studied by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, XPS and UV–VIS spectroscopy. The heat treatment of titanium dioxide thin films in vacuum and H₂ atmosphere induces structural and morphological changes. The band gap narrowing was observed for the transparent as-deposited Nb:TiO₂ films, while annealing at 420 °C in H₂ atmosphere resulted in an enhancement of the electrical conductivity. Further on, TiO₂/p-CdTe photovoltaic devices with efficiency of 1.8% were fabricated and their characteristic ‘enhancement’ is discussed.     

Controlled-fabrication,morphology formation mechanism of TiO2-B nanobelts with NiO-doping

The NiO/TiO₂-B hybrid nanomaterials were synthesized by a hydrothermal process and subsequently a uniform precipitation-method. The phase and morphology of the NiO/TiO₂-B hybrid nanomaterials can be controlled to be either nanoparticles or nanosheets by varying the experimental conditions, e.g., the reaction time, the concentration of Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, and the precipitants. We systematically studied the mechanism of morphology evolution which is mainly affected by the reaction conditions. It is found that the NiO nanosheets are intensively and perpendicularly aggregated on the TiO₂-B nanobelts. The mechanisms of the nanosheets growth and the formation of NiO/TiO₂-B hybrid nanomaterials were discussed based on their morphology evolution processes. The NiO/TiO₂-B hybrid nanomaterials deliver a high discharge capacity of 395 mAh g^− 1 and 96.2% capacity retentions over 50 cycles, implying excellent cycling stability with reversible capacity which is 7.8% higher than that of isolated TiO₂-B nanobelts. This excellent electrochemical performance of the morphology-controlled NiO/TiO₂-B hybrid nanomaterials has a significant potential for lithium-ion battery application.     

Effects of silver concentrations on microstructure and properties of nanostructured titania films

To prevent bacterial proliferation on biomedical titanium implants, significant efforts have been focused on modifying its surface composition and structure. In this study, nanostructured titania (TiO₂) films with different concentrations of silver were prepared by magnetron sputtering and subsequently annealed at 600 °C in air. The effects of silver concentrations on microstructure, antibacterial property, corrosion resistance and hardness were studied. The results indicate that silver contribute to the growth of the TiO₂ grains and is uniformly dispersed on the surface of annealed samples. The annealed films with a thickness of about 2.5 μm are uniform and mainly composed of rutile phase and pure titanium. Silver mainly exists in the metallic state in the TiO₂ films. The Ag-doped TiO₂ films can effectively kill Staphylococcus aureus within 24 h and the antibacterial ability increases with the silver content. The dynamic potential polarization results show that silver incorporation into TiO₂ films slightly lower the corrosion potential, but significantly decrease the current density, and the current density decreases as the silver addition increases. Moreover, the hardness of the Ag-doped TiO₂ films is also greatly improved.     

A novel magnetically separable TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofiber with high photocatalytic activity under UV–vis light

A novel magnetically separable heterogeneous photocatalyst TiO₂/CoFe₂O₄ nanofiber was prepared by sol–gel method and electrospinning technology, followed by heat treatment at 550 °C for 2 h. The phase structure, morphology and magnetic property of the composite nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and vibrating sample magnetometer analysis. The photocatalytic studies of TiO₂/CoFe₂O₄ fibers suggested that the presence of CoFe₂O₄ not only enhanced the absorbance of UV light, but also broadened the response region to visible light. The decolorizing efficiency of methylene blue (MB) solution reaches 95.87% over TiO₂/CoFe₂O₄ nanofibers under 300 W Hg lamp after 5 h, which is close to that of Degussa P25. Furthermore, these fibers can be collected with a magnet for reuse and effectively avoid the secondary pollution of the treated water.     

Phase transition and microstructure evolution during the carbothermal preparation of Ti(C,N) powders in an open system

Phase transition and microstructure evolution during carbothermal reduction–nitridation of TiO₂ in an open system were investigated using XRD, TGA, SEM and laser particle analysis device. The results show that, the phase evolution sequences are: TiO₂ (anatase) → TiO₂(rutile) → Ti_nO_2n-1(n ? 4) → Ti₃O₅ → Ti(N,O) → Ti(C,N,O) → Ti(C,N). In the reaction process, the predominant reaction mechanism is TiO₂/C solid–solid reaction in the beginning and subsequent the gas–solid reactions mainly between oxides and CO, C and CO₂. The synthesizing powders gradually become finer in form of uniform spherical particles with the formation of cubic phase.     

Decolorization of beads-milled TiO2 nanoparticles suspension in an organic solvent

In this paper, a new method is proposed for the decolorization of a yellow-hued suspension of rutile TiO₂ nanoparticles in an organic solvent (diethylene glycol dimethylether). The presence of color has always been undesirable in a suspension of nanoparticles filler used for industrial needs, particularly for optical applications.A colorless suspension was achieved by irradiating well-dispersed TiO₂ nanoparticles in an organic solvent with UV-light (λ = 254 nm) for 5 h. TiO₂ nanoparticles of 1 and 5 wt.% were dispersed using a beads mill method. Trimethoxytrifluor(propyl) silane was used as a dispersant to achieve stability. The effect of the UV-light irradiation on the TiO₂ nanosuspension was investigated by means of a Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance analyzer (FT-NMR). The dispersant was partially desorbed due to the interaction of UV light and the TiO₂/dispersant complex. Thus, an enhanced transparency and the absence of color were obtained for well-dispersed TiO₂ nanoparticles in an organic solvent.     

Dielectric behavior of TiO2 ceramic prepared by plasma activated sintering

Rutile-phase TiO₂ ceramic was rapidly fabricated by plasma activated sintering (PAS) at 650–850 °C for 3 min under 30 MPa. The temperature and frequency dependences of the dielectric properties (dielectric constant and dielectric loss) for the dense TiO₂ ceramic were investigated, and the dielectric behavior was briefly discussed. It was demonstrated that extraordinarily high dielectric constant (2–5 × 10⁴) was observed in the whole experimental ranges of ? 160 to 200 °C and 1 kHz–1 MHz. Moreover, the dielectric loss kept a relatively normal level, however, its temperature and frequency dependences were markedly different with those of the rutile-phase TiO₂ preforms. The unusual dielectric behavior was related with the particular dielectric polarizations of the TiO₂ ceramic and its dominant form of loss under different conditions.     

Enhanced photocatalytic property of nanoporous TiO2/SiO2 micro-particles prepared by aerosol assisted co-assembly of nanoparticles

Nanoporous TiO₂/SiO₂ composite micro-particles were prepared by an aerosol assisted co-assembly (AACA) and their characteristics were investigated for photocatalytic application. The average diameter of resulting co-assembled TiO₂/SiO₂ particles was ranged 4–10 μm, and increased as the precursor concentration increased. The TiO₂/SiO₂ particles were spherical in shape and pores ranged 1–100 nm in diameter. Photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared nanoporous TiO₂/SiO₂ particles was evaluated by measuring the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and NO_x. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of nanoporous TiO₂/SiO₂ particles was compared with those of commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles and nanoporous TiO₂ particles. The nanoporous TiO₂/SiO₂ particles exhibited the highest photodegradation of MB and NO_x among three samples, which was 80% after 3 h and 55% at 10 min, respectively.     

TiO2 nanotube-based field effect transistors and their application as humidity sensors

TiO₂ nanotubes are the building units of various devices of energy- and environment-related applications and the property studies of individual TiO₂ nanotubes are important to understand and improve the performance of TiO₂ nanotubes-based devices. Here we report the electrical property study of individual TiO₂ nanotubes enabled by the construction of field effect transistors based on individual TiO₂ nanotubes. It is found that individual TiO₂ nanotubes exhibit typical n-type electrical conduction characteristics, with electron mobility of 6.9 × 10^?3 cm²/V s at V_ds = 1 V, and electron concentration of 2.8 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3. Moreover, the on–off ratio of the TiO₂ nanotube-based field effect transistors is as high as 10³. Humidity sensing test shows the sensitive response of the individual TiO₂ nanotubes to water vapor.